The present invention relates to apparatuses for draining fluid from a patient, and more particularly, to fluid recovery systems for draining blood from the thoracic cavity of the patient.
Various devices have been developed to drain and collect fluids such as blood from the body cavity of a patient. Such devices typically employ a vacuum to the body cavity of the patient sufficient enough to maintain high "siphon" potential for the removal of blood or other fluid following trauma or surgery. One example of such a draining device is a chest drain, also known as a thoracic cavity drain. Generally, a chest drain is a relatively compact bedside vessel employed to collect fluids postoperatively from a closed surgical site, for example, through a drain tube implanted in the patient's chest.
In many medical situations in which fluids are drawn from a patient, it is critical to accurately measure and monitor the initial volume, for example the first 100, of fluid collected from the patient. Conventional fluid recovery systems generally include a collection chamber having a cut-away portion that provides a section of reduced volume within the collection chamber for receiving the initial volume of fluid collected from the patient. The reduced volume section of the collection chamber permits more accurate monitoring and measuring of the initial fluid collected as changes in the fluid volume collected within the reduced volume section can be measured in smaller increments and at higher resolution.
However, provision of the reduced volume section within the collection chamber has a number of disadvantages. For example, providing a cut-away portion in the collection chamber reduces the total volume of the collection chamber and results in the collection chamber having a non-uniform cross-section, which can complicate manufacturing of the chest drain and can increase production costs. This is particularly true if the fluid recovery system is manufactured through an injection molding process, as a complicated mold must be constructed to produce the reduced volume section of the collection chamber. Moreover, provision of the cut-away portion of the collection chamber can reduce the stability of the fluid recovery system, rendering the chest drain susceptible knock-over, which can adversely effect the operation of the chest drain.
In a hospital setting, a fluid recovery system is typically positioned on the floor further increasing the difficulty in monitoring the volume of fluid collected within the collection chamber of the system. Often, medical personnel must either lift the entire system to bring the system to eye-level or bend-over to accurately measure the fluid volume within the system and monitor the operation of the system. Moreover, glare from overhead lights on the translucent face of the collection chamber can interfere with accurate and reliable monitoring of the fluid volume within the collection chamber.
Accordingly, there is a need for a fluid recovery system that provides for reliable and accurate monitoring of the fluid collected from the patient, particularly the initial volume of fluid collected from the patient.